Improvement is desired in the treatment of soil using steam. Treatment of soil with steam is a technique intended to sterilize the soil. It has been observed that steam will kill pests of plant cultures such as weeds, bacteria, fungi and viruses. Steam can also be used to treat soil fatigue. Conventional treatment methods and apparatus either do not effectively treat the soil, or cannot do so in a cost-effective manner.
In treating soil with steam, it is desired to effectively treat the soil to achieve benefits, such as killing soil-borne diseases and pathogens, the thermal destruction of seeds in the top layer of the treated soil, such as the seeds of weeds, and treating soil fatigue. In many cases, even if the soil is initially heated by the steam to an effective level, heat escapes rapidly from the top layer and a myriad of new growth from seeds of weeds and the like in the soil appears.
What is desired is apparatus that may be utilized to treat soil with steam onsite and in a manner that effectively not only treats the soil to kill pathogens and treat soil fatigue, but also effectively destroys the viability of weed seeds and the like in the top layer of the treated soil.